Sunday, June 27, 2010

Remember how I said I had been struggling with my lack of mojo?? Oh yeah...it hit me HARD by the end of last week. I had the latest Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge in my hands for days....and literally stared at it....for hours. Uggh. I just had to step away from everything. My poor Google Reader was also neglected...something like 300+ unread blog posts. (Sorry to all of you who I haven't stopped by to visit...I promise to leave some comments this week!) Anyway, I think it did me some good! I set aside some time to create this afternoon. There are sooo many items I have purchased that, of course, I just HAD to have, that hadn't seen the light outside of their original package!

So here goes...my entry into that pool of Mojo I've been so desperate to find! Here's the sketch we got to work with for this week.

I just couldn't go without an attempt at this awesome sketch! I just love all the elements to it.

I used just a hodge podge of everything in my stash on this one. Everything neglected, but loved. Everything that has been totally and completely...hoarded. lol Tell me you hoard things too. Tell me I'm not the only one!

The gorgeous patterned paper is from a Life's Portrait Webster's Pages Petite paper pack. I have Vintage Sparklers to go with this....I'm working on un-hoarding those and actually using them. Baby steps people...give me time! :) The little calendar stamp is one from Maya Road that I ordered from 2peas a while back. My sentiment comes from the Ali Edward's set I used previously, Loving Words. The crochet with bling is a new line from Jolee's Boutique that I snagged over at Archiver's on one of my weekly trips there, lol. And finally, the flower is a Prima. Boy do I HOARD those Primas!

And hey, you are going to WANT to participate in this week's sketch challenge guys!! This week, a random participant will win a free stamp set from Taylored Expressions! You have until 8 AM PST July 2nd to submit your card, so be sure and play!! Especially since there will be a new release coming up very soon!! :)

Ok, I think I'm going to try another card just to keep the mojo a'flowin. Hope you are having a great weekend (or week depending on where you are!)

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Hey everyone! Half of the Baker's Dozen and I are back to show off some really cool Liquid Adhesives that EVERY papercrafter should have in their arsenal! I got a chance to play with the Sakura Quickie Glue pen. Now, I am no stranger to this little dream of an adhesive in a tiny package! This adhesive is perfection for those tight and tiny places! And for my project today, I'm going to show you how you can make your stamped image really pop with the glue pen and some fine glitter.

See my main image with the glittery flowers and stems? This is actually some line art from the new set, Summer Afternoon. I simply stamped my image in a light colored ink, and then used the Quickie Glue Pen just like a pen. When you draw with it, it will leave a pale blue trail of adhesive, so you know where you've drawn. No worries though! The pale blue dries clear...handy, eh?! So I drew bit by bit and just kept applying my glitter. The glitter sticks to the glue wonderfully! It also dries pretty quickly (hence the name!) and I was able to lightly brush off the excess glitter with no worries.

I really wish you could see this in person...it's just so striking and sparkly!

Ok...I couldn't just show one technique. You see, I recently got a new toy that I got to get out of the box once the family visitors headed back home. Yep...this toy is a BIG one! Ever heard of the Quickkutz Silhouette SD?? Yeah, I said I would never get a large die cutting machine, but I'm THRILLED to have this one! Sooo many fun things to do with it and NO pricey cartridges to buy and store!! WOOHOO!! Anyway, one of the first things I wanted to do with it was use this new (and cool!) feature where you can customize your own flourishes with bling. The Silhouette cuts your pattern out (little holes) and you just position your cut sheet in place and glue your rhinestones down. Here's a visual!

I cut my flourish on vellum paper and then went from there! I knew I wanted to use the bee from Garden Party Critters, so I positioned him in place(without stamping him) and then positioned my vellum such that he left a little trail. :) I used Taylor's tiny twinkles, my Embellie Gellie (this thing is one of those inventions you WISH you came up with it's THAT awesome), and of course, my Quickie Glue pen! After gluing all the tiny twinkles down, I was able to quickly put together this little number!

Oh! And quickly, before I forget...this glue pen is GREAT for paper-piecing! Ever cut out the tiniest pieces of paper and can't come up with a quick and simple way to glue it down? Don't fret with the glue pen! And here's another bonus...it's one of those that allows you to reposition your piece before the glue has dried. Once it's on though, it is on!

So, what do you think? Well, if you love it (and trust me, you will), Taylor has a GREAT special for you! Beginning today, June 24 - June 27, all of the Center of Attention Product Liquid Adhesives will be 15% off! You may view all of the featured adhesives and their gorgeous creations using them on the following blogs:

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Hello everyone!! I am excited to participate in Taylored Expression's Blast from the Past blog hop! This hop was introduced last month, and like a silly-head, I completely forgot to sign up for it. So happy to participating this month though! What a neat concept to use those sets that haven't seen ink for a while, right??

Can you believe this adorable image is actually from a set released for Easter?! I think it is just adorable! The set is called Favorite Peeps, and it is versatile enough to use year-round. All us hoppers were provided these colors for inspiration.

And thankfully so, I tell ya!! I have had family visiting for the past couple of weeks and haven't stamped a thing! My mojo is/was completely zapped and I needed all the help I could get. :)And so here is what I was able to put together...

I used Jen Tapler's Sketch For You to Try for the sketch...like I said, I needed all the help I could get! My sentiment came from another set from the past, Beary Special...which I just LOVE! Patterned paper is from the Thrift Shop and everything else came from my good 'ole stash. :)

Now, let's check out what the rest of the hoppers have come up with! I can't wait to check out everyone's creations...especially after seeing last month's!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Get it?? It's not the dog cube...but the Dug cube! Ok, I'm being totally corny, but since we named our little pup "Dug", it's just so easy to change all the doggie words to duggie words! heheh

Anyway, remember a while back when I was sneaking the new Pet's Place stamp set with coordinating Project Pantry kit, that I said I totally was going to make a little project from this?? Well, I started almost right away on it and wanted to share my little creation...my little ode to Dug, so to say. :)

I took a cue from Donna and made my own little pet cube dedicated to our new arrival! I'm pretty excited about it...I still haven't even made a little baby book for my daughter! How sad the dog already has something, LOL! Anyway, it was sooo easy to put together using the kit and some matching embellishments! I also stamped a sentiment and some doggie paws right on the patterned paper.

It's so hard to believe that these were only taken back in February...he was soo small then! Now he's BIG!

And finally...this was taken the day we got him...also celebrating Harrison's 6th birthday!

So now that I've totally guilted myself for making this and not making something for my own human baby girl, I'll have to do that next, lol!

Oh! And before I forget...have you signed up for the Taylored Expressions Blast from the Past Blog Hop?!

You have until the 17th to sign up, so sign up quickly! It's going to be fun, and of course, there will be a prize involved to a random participant! Here are some deets for ya:

Hop Rules: Create a card featuring any Taylored Expressions stamps releasedthrough March 2010. We will provide a challenge to get you started, butthe challenge is optional. Then just post the card on your blog on June22nd at 8am PST and include links to all participants in your blogpost. Oh... and don't worry! We'll give you an easy stretch of code tocopy and paste into your blog post so you don't have to spend hourslinking to everyone! This will be a great reason to pull out your muchloved TE stamp sets and get to know fellow TE lovers on the hop!

-- Sign up to play by sending an e-mail to bloghop@tayloredexpressions.com with the subject line "June 22 Hop".In your e-mail simply list the following info: your first and lastname, the name of your blog, your blog address. By sending this e-mailyou are committing to posting a creation on your blog at 8am PSTon June 22nd according to the Hop Rules.

-- You will receive an e-mail confirming your spot in the hop. That e-mail will also include the optional challenge, a list of excludedstamp sets (released after March 2010) and a recap of the Rules.

-- You will receive another e-mail 2 days prior to the Hop with a list of all participants and links to include in your post along with the Hopbadge.

-- One random participant will be selected to win the stamp set of your choice from Taylored Expressions! And someone will be chosen to havetheir card featured in an upcoming Newsletter.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Hi everyone! I'm sneaking up on you this weekend to publicly wish Taylor VanBruggen, of Taylored Expressions, a very happy birthday!! Her birthday is today, and to celebrate, myself and a few *giggle* of her friends are celebrating on our blogs with a fun birthday card for her! Now, I KNOW this girl loves her cupcakes...and I almost went there with these birthday wishes...BUT, I remembered how excited she was to be releasing her very first sets designed by her own hands...Garden Party Critters and Garden Party Blooms! So here's my celebratory card for her! Celebrating another eventful year past, of wisdom gained, and the momentous occasion of designing her very own stamp set! Hope you have a WONDERFUL day Taylor!!

Please help us in wishing Taylor a GREAT birthday by leaving a comment over on her blog HERE! Or even better yet, make a card to share with her on your blog!! :)

In the meantime, feel free to see what all these lovely ladies have created for Taylor in their birthday wishes. :) I can't wait to hop and see myself!

Friday, June 11, 2010

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you had a wonderful week! I'm happy to share with you some new goodies that I have recently somehow acquired. *grin* Last weekend I got to go to the Great American Scrapbooking Convention over in Arlington. I literally, drove up, shopped, and drove right back. It took pretty much the full day but I think it was worth it! I got to see Tim Holtz, Melissa Frances, and the owner of Crafty Secrets...boy was I starstruck! Needless to say, I stocked up on a lot of my favorite products I've been eying online, but have never seen in person. I bought a LOT of Melissa Frances, and quite a bit of Crafty Secrets, and threw in some Maya Road for good measure. :)

Anyway, here is the sketch for this week...I sure do hope you get a chance to play!

And me playing with some of my new "toys." :)

Ok...I HAD to use something sorely neglected...and that was some of my gorgeous SEI Claire papers that I won over on the SEI blog a while back. :) Everything is pretty brand new! Oh...ok, those white buttons are definitely NOT new. I got a nice surprise package in the mail that literally weighed a TON. Could you believe, my mother-in-law mailed me 2 huge jars of buttons from her grandmother and her in-law's mother. WOW! The thread in those buttons are from the original clothing it was on...OLD STUFF! I'm happy to have a TON of vintage buttons on hand now!

I stamped the "Thank You" with my new Technique Tuesday set that I bought at the Convention. I'd been eying that one a while too. :) My main image is from Crafty Secrets, the covered chipboard button is from Maya Road, pretty flourish came from Pink Paislee, and my flower was cut from Pattern paper. WHEW! I can't wait to play with some more of the goodies...I just hope I can do them justice! :)

Hope you have a great weekend and be sure to stop by the rest of the Sketch Crew's blogs to see what they've done!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Wow!! Sorry I went a little MIA there. I had a frenzy of posts last week so I thought I'd give a you a little break. :) Sorry though, break's over!

I've been loving these Pure Innocence sets from My Favorite Things for a good while now, and finally I took the plunge and placed an order! I just couldn't resist! These adorable little girls remind me sooo much of my Catie. Now, I only bought one, but that was because the others I wanted were out of stock...yuck! I'm hoping the others I want make an appearance soon...and hopefully simultaneously!

Anyway, I noticed that MFT is also the sponsor over at the CPS blog and you could have a chance to win some MFT just for playing. What the heck? I'm crossing my fingers I get randomly selected to support this Pure Innocence addiction. :)

Here's what I made using their sketch...

Aww...isn't she adorable?! I just love her! I used the patterned papers from Thrift Shop on my card and those neato cloud dies are MFT's Dienamics Cloud Trio Die. She's colored in with Copics and I think the rest is self-explanatory!

And since summer's in full swing, here's a little snippet of what I've been up to!

And my favorite look here...

Thanks for looking! I'll be back tomorrow with the Friday Sketch Challenge...WOOHOO!

Friday, June 4, 2010

TGIF everybody! I hope you are having a great week and a good start to a fabulous weekend. I am thrilled that all of the new stamp sets are now available for purchase in the Taylored Expressions store! But before you go shopping, we have one more round of gorgeous samples to get some ideas from. :)

My first sample is from the new set, Hangin' Out at the Beach. A FUN set with gorgeous images perfect for summer! I tell you...just seeing this scene makes me want to be laying out at a beautiful beach sippin' a Colada. :)

Am I right or what?! Who wouldn't want to escape to that?! I used new papers now available in the TE store called Fancy Pants Rusted Sun and I just ADORE them!! It's just a PERFECT match to this set. And let me tell you...there are many more VERY cute images!

And my last card for you uses the new Cuppie set, Udderly Sweet. Now THIS set really is my favorite of all the Cuppie sets, and let me tell you why! First of all, the sentiments are just hilarious and soo appropriate...you'll see!! Second, my in-laws live on a large piece of property and care for cows (and soon a horse!) They have a tractor on the property and the kids love crawling all over it. Needless to say, we have MANY pictures of the kids that are SCREAMING to be scrapped with this set. Oh...you can bet your rear there will be something shown here with those soon! :)Alright already...I'll get on with my card!

Too cute, eh?! This set also comes with an Udderly Sweet Project Pantry Kit featuring one of my FAVORITE paper lines right now... Cosmo Cricket's Garden Variety. This paper pack has been hard to keep in stock (I've been hunting it down for a while now), and now the TE store will carry it as a fabulous kit filled with the patterned papers, matching cardstocks, ribbon assortment, vegetable and tractor brads, candy dots, and paper flowers. And you know the price is always a steal!

So let's get on and catch what the rest of the Baker's Dozen has to show you!! We also have our Guest Designer, Sandra MacLean playing along, so be sure and give her HOLLA!!

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Hello again! So glad you came back today! Have you been enjoying the sneaks so far? Can you believe how many sets there have been so far? I'm just having a blast! It's like a whirlwind of stamping over here.

And so here I am again, sneaking some new a la Carte images perfect for the upcoming 4th of July holiday! There are actually 3 little mini sets...all with matching sentiments. And at a price point of only $4.95 EACH!!

ALSO...Taylor put together a 4th of July Project Pantry kit! Wanna see some of these in action??

Cute, huh?! The papers are from We R Memory Keepers Old Glory (and there are some FABULOUS banner sheets in here!), and you get matching cardstock, ribbon assortment, 30 rhinestone stars, the 6 x 6 Star Shower stencil, and Fire Engine Red glitter...all for only $14.95! OR, you can save by purchasing all 3 a la Carte sets AND the Project Pantry kit for just $26.95.

I stamped my image with Tuxedo Black Memento and then colored in the letters with Copics. I also took some AWESOME at you! Spica glitter pens to my fireworks. They really do sparkle and the color shows so amazingly well even colored on black! I used Lipstick, Sky Blue, and Clear Spica pens. I see they're also on sale!! :)

And finally I made a quick Clean and Simple card to celebrate the holiday. I know my dad will appreciate this card...he's VERY patriotic!

And once again, the Baker's Dozen are split as to which sets we are showcasing today, so you'll want to stop by everyone's blogs and check them out! I can't wait to see myself...I've been loving everything I've seen!

So...see you back tomorrow morning when all the sets will be released (8 AM PST) and I'll have 2 more projects to show. :) See you then!

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Hey everyone! Glad to see you back here again for Day 2 of sneaks for Taylored Expressions! You're definitely going to want to check out what the Baker's Dozen has in store for you, because HALF of us are sneaking two sets (me included) and the other half are sneaking a whole 'nother set! *hint hint* Cuppie has returned!

This first set I'm sneaking for you is a gorgeous set for summer...think along the lines of Discover Your Wings.... gorgeous images that you'll NEED in your stamping arsenal. :) The set is called Summer Afternoon and it's built around this fantastic focal frame that I stamped with here...

Ahhh...this set just has so many possibilities! I went with something that could be stamped and be put together very quickly (shocking, I know!) But you could definitely make this vintagey, grungy, or beautiful and clean! So with a quick swift stamp, stamp and some patterned paper, you could literally churn out a bunch of these babies! I used October Afternoon's Thrift Shop patterned paper and some super cute Maya Road Ruffled Trim coupled with some olive grosgrain ribbon and flower and was done! Sinfully simple, I know! I still think it packs a pretty punch though. :)

The next set is called Care & Comfort and this is another have-to-have set! If you're always searching for a beautiful sympathy and Bible verse sentiment set, look no further! Many of these sentiments fit perfectly within the frame of Summer Afternoon, so they make a great pair! I chose to go a different route and not use the obvious but still managed to use both sets together.

Beautiful, yes? I hope you like them because I'm thrilled to have another set like Discover Your Wings...but for summer!

Now, be sure to check out what everyone has created! Remember...some of us are sneaking a different set, so you'll want to see that too!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Happy June everyone!! Can you believe that we are half-way through the year??! Not only that, it's my favorite time of the month...sneaking new Taylored Expressions sets for the big release this Friday! Taylor has another big release for you this month, so you get a special treat of...count 'em, FOUR days of sneaks!! Let's get started, shall we? I have a lot to share over the course of the next few days. :)

The first set the Baker's Dozen is peeking for you today is called Pet's Place! I was just thrilled to see this set as I am such a HUGE animal lover! Yep, you can park me in front of the Animal Planet channel and I'm happy as a pig in mud. :) Except the sad stories...then I just sob uncontrollably. But anyway! We were lucky to add to our family, a special little someone, who was only 8 weeks old when we brought him home in February...

....meet...DUG!! Yep, Dug as in the cute Labrador from the Pixar film, "Up." This was taken on the long trip home from the breeder's home. He's a bit big to be a lap dog now, but HE still thinks he's a lap dog, LOL! :)

And another reason why I love this set....

...is that it is a part of the TE Giving Tree Program!!! A portion of sales from this set will go directly to the Humane Society of the United States. I LOVE THAT!! Here is some verbage on the TE Giving Tree Program for those unfamiliar. :)

Taylored Expressions supports various charities through the TE Giving Tree Program. There is a new stamp set introduced every 3 months to support a new charity. We are proud (or excited or happy) to bring you Pet's Place, the newest set in the Apple Doodle Ink line, to support The Humane Society of the United States. The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest and most effective animal protection organization. The HSUS seeks a humane and sustainable world for all animals—a world that will also benefit people. They are America's mainstream force against cruelty, exploitation and neglect, as well as the most trusted voice extolling the human-animal bond. HSUS is also the lead disaster relief agency for animals, and they provide direct care for thousands of animals at sanctuaries and rescue facilities, wildlife rehabilitation centers, and mobile veterinary clinics. Read more about HSUS here http://www.humanesociety.org/about/overview/ Pet's Place will be available in the TE Store on Friday morning at 8 am PST. $7 from the sale of each set will be donated to HSUS. Please remember that sets in the Giving Tree Program are the same high quality deeply etched pink rubber on EZ Mount as all other TE stamp sets, however unlike our other setsyou will need to trim these images yourself. This allows us to cut production costs and donate more to our charities.

Neat, huh?! I always love the Giving Tree sets...always such GREAT causes...and who could resist my little Dug's face up there?! So many friends of his out there need our help!

And so...about my projects I've shared! Well first, you probably noticed a trend in patterned paper and accessories, etc, right? They're all matchy, matchy...and this is because I used all the papers and accessories from the Pet's Place Project Pantry Kit!! Yep, this set has a super cute Pantry Kit to go with it featuring Basic Grey's Max & Whisker's patterned paper. Tooo stinkin' cute and just a perfect match with this set.

And how about those doggie treats? (The treat bag is sold separately from the Pet's Place Project Pantry Kit) A little something for a friend of yours getting a brand new little "someone" in their life? I sure would have loved that!! You know us animal lovers love our pets like family (sometimes more at times), LOL!

And I couldn't neglect all the cat lover's out there...I know you're out there, and I KNOW that sentiment TOTALLY applies to you, HAH!! Ok, I'm still laughing about that because it's so true! Oooh, and check out my paw print punch!! I got it new in the TE store, HERE! Another item that goes PERFECT with the set. :)

Back to the Pet's Place Project Pantry kit...I just have to mention how it is a steal and can be purchased WITH the Pet's Place stamp set at only $44.90 OR alone at $22.95. And the kit is just more than cardstocks, papers, and ribbons. Taylor packs them up NICE! This kit comes with all these adorable paw print and bone brads and clips, sparkly fluff, rhinestones, AND sticker sheet! Definitely enough to make close to 20 cards, or even use some of those stickers and embellishments to make a scrapbook page. Oh, YES, you will be seeing something using all this in a page in the near future. :)

So what do you think?? Well, while you're thinking on it, be sure and check out the rest of the Baker's Dozen's fabulous creations with it! They sure don't disappoint!